Civil rights leaders want meeting with Hawks

ATLANTA (AP) — Civil rights leaders in Atlanta say they will ask for a meeting with Hawks officials after the disclosure of a racially charged email written by the basketball team's co-owner.

The Rev. Markel Hutchins said Monday that he would ask for a meeting to discuss what he believes is a racist attitude permeating the organization.

The criticism came after Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson announced Sunday that he would sell his controlling interest in the team, in part because of an email he wrote two years ago, offering a theory that black fans were keeping away white fans.

FILE - In this April 26, 2014, file photo, Atlanta Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson cheers from the stands in the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers in Atlanta. Levenson said Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, he is selling his controlling interest in the team, in part due to an inflammatory email he said he wrote in an attempt "to bridge Atlanta's racial sports divide." (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

At a news conference Monday morning, Hutchins said he had not yet requested the meeting. It wasn't immediately clear whether team officials had received any request.